Moving Together

What nature, networks, and neighbors teach us about mental health

Recently I came across a video on Instagram of a group of community members in Chelsea, Michigan helping a bookstore move its inventory from one location to another. Maybe you saw this? Dozens of people, arms full of books, formed a kind of human conveyor belt, passing stories hand to hand down the street. It was simple, fast, and surprisingly moving. No central command. No complex logistics. Just people responding to one another in real time, solving a problem together.

detroitfreepress

A post shared by @detroitfreepress

Now imagine if mental health support worked like that.

That kind of spontaneous, decentralized cooperation mirrors something we see in both nature and digital life. In a recent article in Noema, Renée DiResta describes how online mobs often behave like flocks of birds with individuals responding to what they see others doing, one action triggering the next, until a whole group is in motion. That network logic, for better or worse, shapes the outcomes. It can create chaos, as we often see online. But it also reveals something powerful: coordinated behavior doesn’t always require a master plan, just a structure that lets people see and respond to each other. Without the online platform a lot of these ideas or behaviors just go away — the structure matters.

The Power of Small, Local Interactions

In nature, groups of animals often move in perfect coordination, responding to their neighbors without any central direction. Have you seen starlings swarm? It's truly amazing. The whole group moves as one; they are cohesive and connected yet wholly individual.

I can’t stop thinkin about this in the mental health space. Instead of relying solely on institutions, we could focus on micro-interventions that ripple outward. Peer support, informal conversations, local community groups—these are the building blocks of a more resilient system. They don’t replace professional care, but they can complement it in powerful ways. When people are empowered to act, even small gestures can shift outcomes.

The Role of Social Networks

Digital platforms already influence how we think, feel, and act—but often in ways that amplify distress. Algorithms push outrage (remember the rage bait?!), misinformation spreads fast, and the loudest voices drown out the most thoughtful ones. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

What if platforms were designed with mental health in mind? Imagine networks that prioritize connection over clicks, support over spectacle. Instead of surfacing rage bait, they could highlight empathy, encouragement, and resources. What we see shapes how we feel and how we respond to others.

Adaptive and Decentralized Support Systems

Right now, help often comes only when someone hits a breaking point. That’s by design and that model is backwards. A better system would, by design, offer continuous, low-friction support. It would meet people where they are before a crisis escalates.

Community spaces, workplaces, schools, and digital tools could all play a role. The key must be responsiveness. Systems should be structured to adjust quickly, like a crowd reacting in sync. Mental health support should be embedded in daily life, not locked behind referrals and waitlists - that system wasn’t built for people.

Designing a More Responsive Mental Health System

To build something better, we need to rethink both incentives and design. Today with limited access, treatment is reactive, and care is siloed, but we can do so much more!

Imagine if we:

1. Built decentralized networks that empower everyday people to support one another.

2. Prioritized real-time responsiveness over delayed interventions.

3. Enacted structural reforms that make care more flexible and accessible.

4. Encouraged behavioral contagion for good, using networks to spread positive messages and norms.

5. Rethought algorithmic curation to favor mental health and well-being over basic engagement.

Mental health doesn’t have to be isolated, institutional, or slow. It can be something we do together—something distributed, collective, and alive. Like neighbors passing books hand to hand, we can create systems of care that are simple, powerful, and rooted in connection. If we move together, we all move better.